Q: Help, my ferret accidentally ate chocolate! Will my ferret be okay? Should I take him to the vet?

A: Do you know how much your ferret weighs and how much chocolate he ate? Depending on the answer you might need to go to the vet.

Also, your ferret could have hidden some of the chocolate away for later, so check in all the ferret hiding spots for any chocolate he might eat later.

Most pet owners don’t realize that chocolate can be poisonous to their pet. The primary toxic agent is theobromide, which excites the heart and causes abnormal heart rhythms. Although tolerance varies in small animals, the minimum lethal dose is about:

Ferrets fancy chocolate, however it makes them super sick. My ferrets also like chocolate, that’s why I keep all candy out of reach. Our ferret pogo got into my sons Halloween candy one day and we knew we were in trouble once we saw all the candy wrappers about the floor when we got home. He threw up quite a bit and had the runs.

There are actually a great deal of ferret owners who say their ferrets have a fetish for coke cans, well this is because of the sugar, they FANCY sugar.. . But ferrets can’t digest sugar well. Too much sugar and the ferret will get Insulinoma when he’s older. This is an incredibly complicated infection to handle in a ferret and it can also cause depression. There’s no cure for this disease.

So try to keep them away from the chocolate, it’s deadly to them, like it’s to dogs. I fed my dog chocolate for 10 years right before the veterinarian said not to. (mind you it was in the 80’s and also I didn’t realize.) That dog was a yorkie, 10 lbs and she lived 15 years. The ferret should be fine, just watch him for a belly ache!

anything sugary (it messes together with their blood sugar to a degree),

dried fruits (BEWARE of Kaytee Fiesta, as it has dried fruits and numerous ferrets have died from ingesting it; a class action lawsuit is in progress for the distribution of it because it’s so hazardous to ferrets)

alcohol

fibrous vegetables and fruits like apple peels

A ferret does have a really short digestive system, so dried fruits and other foods pass thru essentially undigested (when you’re lucky). The issue comes when they get stuck somewhere in the bowel and can cause an obstruction.

On those grounds, foods other than kibble or pieces of chicken or turkey actually aren’t good for the ferret.. Ferrets also fancy raisins, although they’ve been linked to kidney failure following feeding them over a long period of time.

And also absolutely no alcohol and no caffeine. Your ferret is a handful as it’s without being either drunk or hyperactive. Seriously, alcohol, chocolate, and caffeine may do very serious damage to a ferret’s cardiovascular system and result in a premature death.